Through the Window
by castleof.stina
Summary: Draco had lost all hope that he would ever make it out of the wizarding war alive. But someone is there to reassure him every day that one should never give up hope. Dramione.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: Draco had lost all hope that he would ever make it out of the wizarding war alive. But someone is there to reassure him every day that one should never give up hope.**

**Author's Note: Everything after Harry tumbled out of Hagrid's arms at the Battle of Hogwarts did not happen. Voldemort retreated once he knew he would not be able to win. Some of his death eaters had already run away. But he did regroup some of them. Lucius Malfoy is now his right hand man, now that Bellatrix is dead. Snape is dead (though I do love his character). Fred is NOT dead (I can't stand him being dead, he should not be). Dobby is dead (Though I love Dobby). Tonks and Lupin are dead. All Voldemort's horcruxes have been destroyed and now all Harry Potter has to do is kill him. Other information will slowly be revealed in the story.**

**disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. All characters and settings belong to J.K. Rowling. All hail the queen.**

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Hermione Granger woke up in a cold sweat. Looking down at herself she realized her legs had become entangled within the sheets on the bed. Her left arm was hanging off the edge of the bed. She shut her eyes and continued to catch her breath. It had been two months since the Battle of Hogwarts. Two months since she had felt peace. Two months since Voldemort escaped from them. Two months since Ron had died. That's what killed her the most: the death of one of her best friends. And as much as she tried, she just could not get it out of her mind, or her dreams.

"_Ron! RON!" Ron and her had become separated when Harry Potter had tumbled out of Hagrid's arms and run into the school, while shooting spells out of his wand. She tried to keep an eye out for the flaming red hair that should have stood out to her. But she could not spy that hair anywhere. The silence and shock of Harry being alive erupted into chaos as some Death Eaters apparated away and some stayed behind. The side of the Light could not help but rush forward to take advantage of the Dark side's slight hesitation. But in that chaos, one was bound to be separated. _

_Suddenly, she saw a flash of red hair to her left and realized that he had most likely fallen. She rushed over, bumping into others and running over a few feet. _

"_Ron! Are you all right?!" Concern showing in her face. _

"_Yeah, I'm fine! But bloody hell they sure do move fast! I don't even know how we got separated this far! You would think that everyone had seen a bloody hippogriff tap dancing and wanted to get a picture!" Hermione couldn't help but laugh at that. Only Ron could turn a serious issue into a laughable one._

_She looked up to see that the crowd that had surged forward from their side was starting to thin out. "Maybe we should go look for Harry. He might need our help." She said to Ron, while pulling him inside to the Great Hall. Before the doors to Hogwarts they turned and saw that while a lot of Death Eaters had apparated away, there still were quite a few staying to fight. Voldemort had not had a chance to escape yet, as there are no fewer than three people trying to take him on. While that was the case, he was still able to quickly and smoothly deflect all spells that were shooting towards him. No sooner had they thought he had no chance at leaving, he shot a spell that caused all that were around him to be blast back a few feet. All of them landed on their backs or sides and he took this time to apparate away. There was no way to know where he had apparated to. As soon as the Death Eaters realized their Dark Lord was gone, they either surrendered, those that had gotten disarmed, or apparated away, those who still had their wands. _

_As they entered the school, Neville came running out with the Sword of Gryffindor. "Have you guys seen the snake? I need to kill it! Harry told me to kill it!" He had never looked so determined in his life. Hermione was quick to reply, "I'm not sure, Voldemort got away! I was so sure he would stay to fight with Harry." She took a quick look around. "Where is Harry anyway? I thought I saw him come back into the school?" Neville shrugged and ran off, no doubt to find Nagini. _

_Ron grabbed her hand. "Let's go inside the Great Hall. I'm sure Harry is fine and that he has a plan to off Voldemort." He meant for what he said to be reassuring, but Hermione felt only a little bit reassured. "Okay. But we shouldn't stay long. We should go find him ourselves. Like I said, he might need our help." _

Hermione reopened her eyes, having taken a few breaths to steady her heart. She wished that these nightmares would go away. She thought she had gotten over everything that day at Hogwarts. But she still had night terrors. It had been two months! She should have been okay.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard two voices outside, talking fairly loudly outside her door. Though she knew she should stay in bed, her curiosity got the best of her. She untangled her feet from the sheets and had swung her legs slowly over the side of the bed, when there was soft knocking at her door. "Come in!" Well, at least now she didn't have to get out of bed.

The door opened and Harry poked his head into the room. "Hey Hermione. You awake?"

"Yes. I was just about to get up and open the door. I heard voices outside. Is everything all right?" She answered with a question of her own.

"Yes, everything's fine." His response was short. She looked at him questioningly. "Do you mind if I come in? Something's happened and I need to talk it over with you."

Her mind started reeling through possible things that could have happened. She knew that Harry and a group had gone out last night to get more resources. They were stationed at Grimmauld Place and the only place to retrieve these resources they needed was Hogwarts. She couldn't stop the flood of thoughts that overtook her. Did someone die? Was it someone she was close with? What happened? Or worse, had Death Eaters taken over Hogwarts...

"Hermione, don't worry. It's not what you're thinking. I can hear the gears turning in your head right now." He chuckled. "No one from our group was hurt." But she did catch the way he emphasized the word _our_.

"Was it someone at Hogwarts then? It's not Professor McGonagall is it?"

"No, no. But we did catch someone. He was going through some things from the resource room. I suppose he needed some stuff as well. We snuck up behind him and he didn't notice." Harry paused and he looked a bit uncomfortable. "We drew our wands on him and Neville might have accidentally prematurely sent a stunning spell at him. When we turned him around, we were pretty shocked to see who it was."

Hermione waited for him to continue the story. When he didn't, she looked at him pointedly. "Is that it Harry? What happened next? Who was it?"

"He looked so different from when we were at Hogwarts. We hadn't heard about him in a long time. His clothes were haggard and his shoes were so worn out. His hair was cut, though very choppily. We believe he's been hiding as well." Another pause. "He didn't look good Hermione. I think it's better if I showed you." At this, he dropped his eyes to the floor. "Unfortunately all the rooms are full except yours and we need to get him in a bed. Your room is large enough to put in another bed." He lifted his eyes to hers. "This is important Hermione, I know it. We have to help him. My first thought was to toss him out in the street for whoever to find. But in his state, I just couldn't. It looked like he had been tortured, repeatedly I might add. Hopefully when he gets better we can move him out of this room. We can set up a curtain for both of your privacies. But we need to have him in this room. There's nowhere else."

Hermione was listening carefully. Though she knew the right thing to do, it would be so difficult for her. She didn't like sleeping with others in the same room. She didn't want to wake up screaming only to stare at people who were looking at her with pity. She hated that. She wasn't a fragile doll. She had hunted for horcruxes beside Harry for Godric's sake! And when Ron temporarily left them, she had still stayed by Harry's side. And when they were attacked at Godric's Hollow, she had been able to get them both to safety, though at the expense of Harry's own wand. It was that her dreams were sometimes so overwhelming.

"Is there no other room, Harry?" She asked quietly.

"No. I'm sorry. If there were any other room, I would have brought them there. I'm sorry to ask this of you Hermione. But maybe he knows stuff. You can be the first to question him when he wakes. But he definitely needs a bed."

She reluctantly gave her answer. "Okay Harry. He can come and stay for as long as he needs to heal."

Harry walked over to her an enveloped her in a big hug. "Thank you Hermione. I still had to ask because- well- you know-"

"Yes, I know Harry. Thank you for asking for permission first. I think I would have been upset if you had just sprung this on me." She gave him a little smile. "Why don't you bring him up. I'll conjure up a separate bed for him."

He smiled and left the room. Shortly after she could hear Harry's footsteps descending the stairs, along with another pair of footsteps.

Presently, she sat at the foot of the bed and looked out the window that faced outwards, onto the street. And she sighed. She wished there would be more natural lighting in this room, but it wasn't possible with this one small window, the only window in this room. She liked natural lighting. The headboard of her bed was against the wall of the window. The foot of the bed jutting into the center of the room. The window to the right side of the headboard. From here she could see outside. Hermione decided to conjure up a bed in the same position, headboard at the wall and foot of the bed at the center of the room, a few feet away to her bed's left. The bedding was the same as hers. White. Always white.

Sometimes everyone in Grimmauld Place would get together and have a fun day. They had some wizarding games and muggle board games as well. Just one day to relax. Most people realized that they needed a day to calm down every month. They would play for a whole day and go back to work the next. This would relieve a bit of their stress, but once everyone returned to bed, the anxiety and stress would return. No one wanted to go to sleep covered in brightly colored bedding. It only brought their hopes up of the war ending soon. Only to realize that they actually were not all that close to winning. Luna was the only one in the house to have non white bedding. She had her bedding in a deep blue. Her House colors and also the color that reminded her of the sea. Luna had loved staying at Shell Cottage when Harry and company had helped her escape from Malfoy Manor. It was nice there and so disconnected from everything. One could almost forget the war that was raging in the wizarding world. But they all wanted to come back. They all wanted to fight. To rid both muggle and wizarding world of this crazy, halfblooded, power-hungry wizard. So Luna slept with her blue bedding and no one teased her.

Hermione heard a bump outside. Harry must be back with the person that was supposed to sleep in her room. She really hoped that they would be a heavy sleeper. One who could sleep through the screams.

"Watch his head!" She could tell this was Harry.

"I didn't do it on purpose!" Ginny.

"Well, you weren't very careful either. I know it's not easy getting two people to levitate a body together, but that was just ridiculous. You made him bump his head into the wall."

"Oh whatever. I bet he couldn't feel it anyway." She could sense the Ginny eye roll.

"Still. That wasn't very nice."

She huffed. "Well, he hasn't been very nice."

Curiosity overcame her then. She wondered who it was. It didn't seem to be someone they normally associated with. Someone probably from a House other than Gryffindor that's for sure. And by Ginny's voice, someone they didn't like very much at Hogwarts. At least it couldn't have been anyone in Slytherin. Harry would not help anyone that had been in Slytherin. They had all gone to the Dark side. Except for Blaise Zabini. He was their sole Slytherin acquaintance. He was currently based at Diagon Alley.

Her current thoughts were interrupted when she saw Ginny's back first come through the door, her wand held up to levitate the body into the room. Hermione saw dark shoes that really were very worn in. The rest of the body came through along with Harry and she could not stop the gasp that came out of her.

She looked up at Harry, wide eyed. "W-What? No I want him out. He can't stay here! He can't! Take him out! I take what I said back! I don't think he can stay Harry!" She tried to stay calm, but she was starting to hyperventilate, speeding up her heart rate and breathing. It felt like her body had tensed up and she could not move, even if she tried.

Harry and Ginny quickly put him on the bed that Hermione had conjured and made their way over to her after they were done.

Ginny took Hermione's hands into her own. They were cold and curled into fists. She tried to get them uncurled. After a few seconds, Hermione could feel that Ginny had succeeded and was currently rubbing circles on the tops of her hands. This seemed to calm her down a bit. But her breaths were coming short and her heart rate was still elevated, though slowing down a bit. Harry looked at her from Ginny's side. He knew it would be difficult for her. Ron nor himself had had to watch her being tortured at Malfoy Manor. Sure, they could hear her terrified screams, but seeing it was different. They would have done anything to stop Bellatrix from torturing her.

Hermione knew that when she was being tortured, the ones who had been there to witness wouldn't have done anything to help her. Obviously. But now, there was another person in her room who had witnessed her being tortured that day. She remembered glancing up and seeing him looking down at her. She had seen his expression and could tell he was very pale in the face and looked about to vomit. While he thought that she was a mudblood, there was no hiding his facial expression. She knew that in that moment, they were both human. But then, in that split second he caught her staring at him, he became expressionless. It didn't look like he even cared. And he looked bored. To Hermione, that was equally as bad as being the torturer themself.

There was no way she would be able to sleep with that inhumane person in the same room. What if he woke up in the middle of the night and started torturing her? She didn't think she could stand it. She was so scared. Even though he was not the one to torture her, she always thought that if Bellatrix or Lucius had told him to torture her, he would. There was no other option for him. She was sure he would. She was terrified.

Harry tried to soothe her with words. "Hermione, it's okay. Nothing will happen. He's hurt, hurt bad. Just look at him. He can't do anything. He won't do anything. We'll be here to protect you. Don't worry."

She looked from her hands to Harry. Her eyes were brimming with soon to be shed tears. One tear escaped from her eyes. Now her breathing was a bit controlled. But when she spoke, her voice shook from being unstable.

"I-I don't care, Harry. I-I-I don't want Draco Malfoy in this room." And she closed her eyes and started to cry softly.

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**Author's Note: Hello! Welcome to my new story! It's dramione based. Tell me what you think of this chapter. I have the plot in my head. The ending right now is currently changing. This is what I have written so far, but my ideas seem to be flowing, as is the words that are being typed on the computer. Read and review. It would be great if I could know your thoughts. I will be continuing this whether or not there are reviews. But it doesn't hurt to boost my confidence. I've written two other stories, written a while ago. And I would like to think that my writing has definitely changed. If not, brace yourself and take a look at my other story and one shot. I'll put up the second chapter within the next five days. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: I started this story because I needed to get this idea down and on paper. I didn't want to forget about it. The story is still being written. I'm a very forgetful person so there may be discrepancies in the timelines. I will edit as much as I can before posting. For now, there shouldn't be any problems with the story. Unless there are... please tell me!**

**Obviously, this will be mostly about Dramione; so if Harry goes out to do something for the war, I won't go into much detail. I want to build up Draco and Hermione's backgrounds and stories. The war will obviously be talked about, but I won't describe the missions Harry goes on and the likes. This chapter will mostly be about building Hermione's back story. **

**Hope you enjoy this segment. If there are any problems you spy, please let me know. Hope you like this.**

**disclaimer: Harry Potter universe owned by J.K. Rowling.**

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_Hermione was staring down at a couple whom she thought would have lived through the battle, holding hands in their last moments. Tonks who had always been able to make her laugh in the darkest of her moods. Professor Lupin who was always being scorned just because he became a werewolf during the full moon. They had a son waiting for them at home and now they would not be able to return. They would never see him grow up. Tears made their way down her face, not only for the couple in front of her, but for the little boy at home who was waiting for his parents to come back. _

_Someone came over and carefully placed their hand into hers, since they had been hanging by her side. She looked up to see Ron, who had come back when he realized Hermione had not been following him. "Come on." He nudged her to keep her moving._

_They walked over to the rest of the Weasley family. She was so thankful that none of them had found a way out of her life. She couldn't imagine what it would be like if a Weasley had passed. She loved them like her own family. _

_Her family. Her parents. Every time she thought about them, guilt managed to creep its way into her heart. While she thought it was for the best, it didn't make her feel any less guilty. She wondered what they were doing in Australia at this very moment. She wondered if they knew they had a daughter in England. The latter she didn't think was very likely, the conviction with which she cast Obliviate would definitely leave no holes nor any inklings to their past memories. _

_She hugged all the Weasleys and made sure to tell each and every one of them that she loved them. This was no time to be shy about feelings. Not when anything could happen at any given moment._

_Seamus burst into the room. "Hey! We need some help! Neville's caught himself the bloody snake!" _

Hermione woke up. She had not screamed this time. She could tell; her voice was not hoarse like it usually was after one of her screaming nightmares.

She had no idea at the time, but that was the moment where everything had changed.

Looking around, she could tell that it was getting darker. It was most likely around six in the evening, almost dinnertime. She looked to her left and spied someone in the bed.

Everything came back to her and she realized what had happened. "HARRY POTTER! YOU GET YOUR ARSE UP HERE THIS INSTANT!" Upset was an understatement, she was livid.

What she forgot was when she had shouted for Harry, she would undoubtedly wake up her sleeping neighbor.

"What the bloody hell is with all the shouting? Can't you see I'm trying to sleep?" The person in the bed said. He sounded grumpy and frustrated. His voice was rough, like he hadn't spoken in a long time.

Hermione whimpered and ran to the corner furthest from the slumbering enemy, paying no attention to the fact that she wasn't supposed to overexert herself in the first place. She mentally berated herself for showing any fear to him.

Her neighbor turned carefully in the bed, opening his eyes. He scanned the room and his gaze fell upon the corner where she had retreated to. He tried to sit up, but he winced and made the decision to stay lying down.

"Well, Granger. What the hell are you doing there for?"

She didn't speak. No, she couldn't speak.

"Not going to answer me? What's wrong? I remember you could never resist the urge to talk when given the chance."

The door opened before Hermione could say anything. Harry walked in, though somewhat timidly. He turned on a desk lamp that was just to the left of the door. He looked around and spotted her in the corner furthest from him. "Hermione, what are you doing over there?"

Hermione slowly got up and collected herself. She was trembling on the inside, but she was still angry. "Harry Potter! How could you drug me? You know I don't like taking sleeping draughts! They make me less focused after I've taken them." Though she had not raised her voice that loud, her tone was laced with disappointment.

Harry had the decency to look guilty. "I'm sorry, Hermione. But you needed it. You needed to calm down. I am sorry that I thrust this upon you so quickly." He glanced over at Draco. "There is one thing I have to mention though." Both Hermione and Draco gave Harry their attention.

"Malfoy can't get up in his condition. When he was asleep I had Ginny examine him. He's been beaten quite a bit. There are bruises and scars on almost every inch of his body. He shouldn't be able to move for awhile."

"Bloody hell I can't, Potter." Malfoy replied, trying to sit up again, but failing. This time he attempted to move his legs over the side, but that didn't work out too well, his shout indicating that he was staying in bed. For awhile, indeed. "Ah, fuck! That was bloody painful!" He lay his head down on his pillow and stayed there. "What's wrong with me, Potter? What did you do to me! Cursing someone with their backs turned to you. That just shows you're no hero."

Harry looked over at him. "I didn't curse you Malfoy. You should show some thanks that I brought you back here. It doesn't seem that the Death Eaters are treating you very well, does it?"

Hermione spoke up now. "H-He can't move?" She wanted to be sure.

"Yes. And he won't be able to for at least a month."

"A fucking month! No way I'm hiding out here for a month with you Gryffindors." Once again, he tried to get up. And once again he failed. "Shit!"

Harry looked over to Malfoy. "I've told you already. You can't move." Hermione slowly made her way over to Harry. She stood behind Harry when she saw Malfoy's eyes on her.

"Well, why not? They're only bruises and scars. Nothing I haven't dealt with before." He sneered at the both of them.

Harry turned to Hermione. "You don't have to worry about him moving. I'm serious Hermione. He can't move. You just saw what happens if he tries. And if he does attempt it again, it just might kill him. You can still stay in this room. I promise I would never put you in danger." When he said this, a look of realization came to him. "Oh shit, Hermione. You aren't supposed to be out of bed." He took her arm and led her to the bed.

"I'm not crippled, Harry. I can walk by myself." She sat down. "And Ginny said I'm fine as long as I don't move around so much."

Draco Malfoy was listening to their conversation. Apparently, there was something wrong with Granger as well. "What's wrong with her?" He looked at Harry.

"I'm not saying anything. She'll tell you if she wants to." Harry turned back to Hermione. "Are you hungry? I can get you some food."

Hermione was not up to eating at the moment. She was glad Malfoy could not move. At least he couldn't wake up in the middle of the night and do what he wanted to her. "No, I'm okay. I'll be fine. This just takes some getting used to, that's all. I'm just a bit shaken."

"Well, then I'm going back down to finish my food all right." He looked warily over to Malfoy. "Try not to get a rise out of her Malfoy; she's been through enough already. And I can guarantee you there's a group downstairs that don't need to be told twice to hex you. They would do it willingly and gladly."

Malfoy scoffed. "Whatever, Potter." He turned so that he couldn't see both their faces.

Harry nodded to Hermione and started to walk out the door.

"Don't think you're off the hook, Harry. I'm still not done with you." Hermione pulled the covers over her body, up until her neck. If she was being honest, she was a bit tired. Just running to that corner had taken up all the energy she had.

They both heard Malfoy snigger.

"Malfoy. Did you just laugh at something Hermione said?"

"No! Why would I laugh at something she said?"

"That's what I thought." Harry smiled at Hermione, who in turn smiled at him. "I'll send someone up tomorrow to take care of both of you." With that, he left and closed the door after him.

"You better not come near me with your dirty hands, Granger. Or it will be the last thing you do."

"Don't worry, Malfoy. I wouldn't want to taint my precious hands with your murderous ones."

"Why you little-"

Hermione picked up her wand and said, "Silencio."

She was left with silence. Malfoy turned his head and gave her a death glare. She merely smiled.

"That's better." She snuggled further into the covers and fell asleep. The fastest she had ever fallen asleep.

_Hermione only knew of one other person to run along beside her: Ron. They had planned to catch up with Harry, but they both knew if they did not kill Nagini, then they would have no chance in killing Voldemort. Harry would have wanted them to help Neville get rid of the last horcrus. _

_As they burst into the Entrance Hall, a green light shot past them. Grazing Hermione's ears. She could feel the tips of her ears heat up a little. _

_She looked in front of her and was met with an interesting sight. Neville was at the bottom of the staircase and the rest of the Order, and then some, created a barrier to prevent the snake from exiting the Hall. The serpent could not apparate by itself, but it could most certainly slither away back to its master. And it was dangerous. A group was needed to make sure it did not escape. _

_However, it did not seem to want to give up fighting. Neville had yet to strike once. The wizard barrier around the snake, though fighting it off, was wary of the creature. He was the pet of the Darkest Wizard and played the part well. No one wanted to provoke it on purpose. They would wait until it would strike and shoot out a spell to repel it._

_Watching, Hermione knew there was no way they would ever strike Nagini. It would take too long. And time was precious. Her and Ron were at the Great Hall doors and Neville was opposite them. Nagini could sense whenever Neville wanted to attack. And always turned around, causing Neville to stand back once again._

_Hermione picked up a rock and stepped forward a few steps. She threw it and it hit Nagini right at the back of its head. It turned around and surged forward. Fleur and Dean were now right in front of the serpent. As Nagini lunged towards them, Fleur lost her footing while shooting off a spell that veered off in another direction. Dean was distracted by her falling and went to shield her from the snake. It seemed Nagini was now on the offense as it used its tail to thrash about the barrier. This knocked out everyone and most could not get back up in time. Some were caught by the end of the tail and sailed through the air, flying back a few feet. _

_Hermione stood her ground because she saw Neville coming up behind it. Hoping with everything she had that he would make the strike before it attacked her. But of course, right as Neville came up right behind Nagini, he tripped, a very miniscule trip, as it looked like he did not lose his footing. But that loss of time, cost them. Nagini once again lunged toward Hermione and she panicked. She had just started to raise her wand when someone collided into her front, being a shield to her, protecting her from the snake. _

_And then they both fell backwards as Nagini knocked into them._

Hermione screamed. Tears were already starting to fall. She hated this part. She was strong. She knew it. She had to be, to have endured through so much. She was alive when most would have started digging their own grave.

Her sheets were twisted every which way. She sighed and rearranged them. She saw something move out of the corner of her eye and with great swiftness, moved towards the edge of her bed. But it was only Malfoy turning his head to look at her. He had obviously heard her scream out loud. Malfoy was looking at her with an expression she could not read. She thought she caught a glimpse of hurt, but as fast as she realized this, the look was already gone.

Her silencing spell would have faded by now.

"Damn, Granger. Did you want to wake the whole bloody house?"

She ignored him. This time she remembered to silence the area around her bed. Only she would be able to hear her own screams now.

As much as she wanted to fall asleep, this time she could not.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Slowly working on writing more. I had intentionally meant to make this a tragedy with a main character death, but I ended up not liking it that way. So, they will both be alive. **

**disclaimer: Harry Potter universe belongs to J.K. Rowling.**

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Hermione awoke to soft knocking on the door.

"Come in." Taking a look to her side, she saw that Malfoy was still sleeping. A look at the clock above the door told her it was only seven in the morning.

She had managed a few hours of sleep. But every time she closed her eyes and waited for sleep to take her, she would awake again. It had been like that the whole night.

This time Ginny came through the door with a tray with two plates filled with food. "I've brought breakfast." She smiled to Hermione.

"Thanks, Ginny. I'm going to brush my teeth before I eat. You can just leave it on the table. I'll eat it when I'm done." Hermione made her way into the bathroom that was opposite the wall with the window. She closed the door as Ginny set the tray on the desk.

"So, how was sleeping with Malfoy next to you?" Ginny asked.

"It was okay." The toilet flushed and a few seconds later there was running water. And a minute later the bathroom door opened. Ginny walked over to the door.

"He didn't bother you did he?"

"No, we didn't talk much."

While Hermione brushed her teeth, Ginny leaned against the door frame and watched her. They were very good friends. Obviously not as close as the Golden Trio was. But they confided in each other when they felt like it. Hermione knew if she told Ginny anything, the redhead would keep it a secret. And as long as Ginny told her not to tell anyone of what they discussed, she wouldn't.

"Ginny, stop staring at me like that. I'm fine." Hermione said when she had finished. "It's time for my spells, isn't it?" She lay down on top of her sheets.

"Yes." Ginny clipped.

"I wish you wouldn't be so upset. I didn't ask for this, you know. But what's done is done. I can't do anything about it. As much as I want something to change. As much as I want to get better, I know there isn't any hope. I'm grateful that you're able to do this for me. At least I still have my brain. That has't been poisoned."

Ginny stared hard at her. "We aren't giving up you know. We will never give up. You will get better. At least you aren't getting worse."

At this, they both heard the bed creak with the tiniest movement.

Hermione furrowed her brow. "Malfoy, were you eavesdropping on our conversation? You know that's regarded as impolite in some cultures." She crossed her arms under her chest.

"For _your_ information, Granger, it's not like I can just stand up and walk out of here. I'm stuck in this fucking bed for a month." He sneered.

It reassured her immensely that he could not move from the bed. However, she was a bit nervous that he was just acting. She thought that maybe this was why she hadn't been able to sleep. While she knew he couldn't get up, as demonstrated yesterday, she still felt like he would wake up in the middle of the night and strangle her to death.

But he hadn't. She realized that she would have to relax around him a bit. It didn't look like he would be getting better any time soon.

Hermione let out a sigh. "Come on, Ginny. I'd like to eat my breakfast and maybe take a walk around. I think I need to get out of this room for a little." Ginny looked like she was about to say something. "Please, Ginny."

Ginny glared at Malfoy and went over to Hermione. Ginny started to pull down Hermione's shirt on her left shoulder. But she had a thought before it was pulled very far. "Wait." She looked over Ginny's shoulder and saw Draco trying his best to get a peek at what was happening. His head couldn't go very forward though, as it caused him pain. She grabbed her wand and levitated her sheets to block Malfoy from seeing anything. As a precaution.

She kept her wand hand up to keep the sheets from falling, while Ginny worked on her shoulder. There was a small bandage underneath Hermione's shirt near the front of her shoulder. Ginny lifted this and threw it away in the trash near the bathroom doors. Making it in perfectly. Hermione smiled. Her friend's chaser instincts were still there.

Ginny had another bandage in the back of her pocket and took it out. She lay it on the bed and pointed her wand at the one small puncture on Hermione's body. This one tiny wound, if not treated, would be able to kill her.

"_Sifoni du venenis." _Ginny could feel the poison halting in its process to the heart. There was still no way to get the poison out of her system. Being able to stop its descent was the best they could do for now. Now she could feel it moving back to the surface of the wound. But that was as far as it would go.

"It took longer to get back to the surface this time. We told you to stop moving around so much Hermione. You know what happens if your heart rate increases. This spreads the poison faster and farther."

"Seeing as I had an unexpected guest yesterday, I thought it went better than expected." Hermione replied. " I could have punched him you know."

Ginny snorted. "Yeah, and we all know how that ended in your third year."

"Hey! I'm right here!"

Both girls rolled their eyes. "Yes, yes Malfoy. And you can't do anything about it."

Ginny picked up the bandage from the bed and placed it over the wound. It wouldn't do to get infected. She pulled up the shirt and Hermione brought the sheets back over to her.

"Thanks. That feels so much better."

Ginny started to walk to the door, but stopped at Malfoy's bed. She looked conflicted. Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"I'm supposed to heal him too." But didn't move any closer to him.

"You should do it. It must be terrible to lay in bed all day. At least I can walk around. Though not a lot."

Ginny huffed. "Fine." She walked over to Malfoy's side. "You have to lift your shirt up."

Malfoy smirked. "You'd like that wouldn't you Weaslette? Potter not living up to your expectations?"

Ginny smacked his arm. "Don't make me hex you."

Malfoy slowly lifted his shirt and turned his head. He didn't want to see it. He had already seen it and if he was being honest, he had not like what he had seen.

Ginny's eyes got wide. "My gods Malfoy! What happened to you!?" A long gash was seen starting from the middle of his chest to just above his right hip. Her hand automatically went to touch it, but Malfoy hissed when he saw what she was about to do.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." He glared at her.

She pulled back her hand. Hermione stood up and walked the short distance between her bed and his. She was quite taken aback. It was a long gash and she could tell it had been inflicted a while ago. It was no longer bloody, but she could tell it once had been.

"How were you even able to stand Malfoy?" Hermione questioned. There was no possible way that he could have been walking around. She was confused. Harry said they had found him rummaging through their resources. She had a hard time believing he had not been standing.

"I was doing fine until Longbottom showed up and threw a spell at me. If you had been stunned while having this injury, you wouldn't be able to stand now either."

"I don't think I can heal this yet. I don't know which spells to use. I'm going to have to perform a spell to examine the extent of your injuries. Then we will have an idea of what healing spell or potion we are looking for." She looked back up to his face. "Neville didn't do it on purpose, so don't go accusing him."

Ginny pointed her wand at Malfoy's head. "_Exlustro._" A pale yellow light shone out of her wand and she slowly brought it down to his toes. She could see how bad the damage was internally. Everything was clean except for his muscles. There were small tears in his muscles around the gash.

This was the reason why he could not sit up. Any contraction of the muscles would cause pain. She knew Neville hadn't done it on purpose, but this was definitely bad. If a spell had not been prematurely cast, then Malfoy would not have been in this condition.

While it meant he did not go around insulting people for the fun of it, this was no way to spend his days here. It would take time to heal. She knew of a spell to stitch the muscles back together, but it would take a while and have to be done in small sections. The slash in his body would take more work and it would scar.

"You can lower your shirt now. I'll be back later today with a potion for you, Malfoy. It will help to unwind the muscles and loosen the tension in them. I'll need to stitch them back up before working on the gash." She looked at Hermione. "Don't overwork yourself." And she left.

"I didn't know the Weaslette was a healer." Malfoy asked Hermione.

"Well, someone had to become one. At least one that would be able to heal small stuff. She's doing really well. She can heal most injuries that your side have cast on us."

"Not my side." Malfoy interrupted, through clench teeth. "I don't associate with them anymore."

"Why not? What happened? Did they do this to you?"

"Did anyone ever tell you that you ask too many questions, Granger?"

The corners of her lips twitched. "A few."

He looked at her but didn't answer. "Aren't you going to answer my questions?" She continued.

"No, I don't think I will. You need to know when to pull you and your wild mane out of other people's businesses."

"I'm just trying to help Malfoy!" She took a deep breath. She had to remind herself that Malfoy was always looking for a way to rile her up. "You'll have to tell Ginny anyway. She will need to know some background info. So she knows what potions or spells to use that won't irritate the wound any more. I'm going to be the one looking through books to research the spell that did this to you. You might as well tell me now. The sooner you tell me, the sooner we will be able to heal you."

He looked defiant. "I think I'll wait, thanks." He all but spit out.

"Fine!" She got up quickly, but had to sit back down. Her head was spinning. This was not good for her. But Malfoy was being so unreasonable.

This time, she got up slowly and walked out the door before shutting it behind her, not very softly. Let him wallow by himself for now. He had nothing to do. He didn't have his wand by the looks of it either. She knew Harry would not have given it back to him. And Malfoy was in no position to argue.

She went downstairs into the kitchen. There was bound to be someone in there to talk to, to distract her from the pompous arse upstairs.

"Oh, hey Luna. I didn't know you were here." Hermione said upon entering. "I thought you were in Diagon Alley. How are the others?"

"Oh, they're fine." Luna replied dreamily. "Everything is good, considering all the bumbly kimps that always seem to find their way inside the buildings."

Hermione didn't dare ask what bumbly kimps were. That would launch Luna into a whole new half hour speech on what they were, how to get rid of them, and how beneficial they were to wizards.

"I just decided to come here to see my friends." But of course, sometimes Luna said some things that made her feel guilty for not wanting to hear about her interests.

"We're glad you're here Luna. We love seeing our friends as well. You'll have to tell me about those bumbly kimps some other time."

"Ok. I think I'm going to go find Neville now." She got up from her seat and skipped her way out the kitchen.

Hermione sat down on the now vacated chair, thinking in the silence. No one was in the kitchen right now, as breakfast had already been served.

She thought about the blonde wizard in her room upstairs. True, she was scared to get close to him. He still had control of his arms and hands. If she were ever caught in them, he would waste no time in strangling her. She was sure.

But even though she thought he was still a bully, words from him didn't mean as much as before. On the other hand, ever since Bellatrix had tortured her in Malfoy Manor, she had found out that she didn't like to be touched much. The only people who were able to touch her without her cringing or shying away were Harry and Ron. And now that Ron was gone, only Harry, and sometimes Ginny. She didn't mind when Ginny fixed her puncture, but other than that she didn't like surprise touches. Hugs were okay sometimes, but never an unexpected pat on the shoulder.

Hermione wished it didn't affect her so. Before Malfoy Manor, she was all for hugs and touches. It showed her that there were people in the wizarding world that didn't mind she was muggle-born. Unexpected pats on the back and shoulder proved that she had done well. They were like nonverbal praises.

She didn't know how long it would take to get over it. It had been at least two and a half months since the torture. Should she be over it by now? She unconsciously touched her left forearm. The word mudblood had faded away, but there would forever be a scar there. She liked wearing thin long sleeve shirts. It wasn't that she was ashamed of it. There was no way she could have prevented this from happening. Other than being killed. She just didn't like to showcase it. There was nothing worse than talking to someone, even someone who she was close with, and having them stare at the scar. She had previously tried to cast a glamour charm on it, but since it was carved using dark magic, it couldn't be covered.

She got up and poured herself some pumpkin juice to take upstairs.

As she entered the room, she saw that Malfoy had his tray and was eating while lying down. She didn't like Malfoy, but his predicament was pitiable. She tried not to stare at him and placed the pumpkin juice on a small night stand under the window. Then she walked over to a small bookshelf at the back of the room. The shelves were filled with her own books. After the battle at Hogwarts, she asked Harry if they could go back to her home. She wanted to collect some more books, ones that she had chosen not to place in her bag that she had cast an Undetectable Extension charm on.

So, they went back to her home and she picked up some more books. Ones for research and reference and some for her entertainment. There were a few muggle literature that she just could not leave behind. Reading helped her to sleep sometimes. But even she sometimes didn't feel like reading.

She picked up a book and went back to her bed to start reading.

Before she could open the book, Malfoy interrupted her. "Reading? Don't you ever get sick of reading?"

"Never, Malfoy." She looked over at him. "Don't you ever get sick of talking? Why are you even talking to me? Just because we have to sleep in the same room doesn't mean you have to talk to me. Even you must realize whenever we do, it ends in an argument."

He didn't look phased. "Maybe I just like to bother you for the fun of it."

"It doesn't bother you that you're having a conversation with a _mudblood_?"

"Don't use that word." He said, angrily. "You may be a know it all that won't shut up, but I don't think that anymore."

"Oh, and why not? What's changed your mind?" She gave off a short laugh. "Don't tell me you've had a change of heart."

"No." His one worded answer signaled the end of that particular conversation.

She looked at him a while longer, but then opened her book and finally started reading.

After a few minutes, she heard shuffling from his bed. Sneaking a glance, Hermione saw that he was trying to place the tray on the floor. And trying to do it without any noise.

She thought about it for a moment and used her wand to levitate it to the desk.

Malfoy looked confused for a second before turning to look at her. "I don't need your help! I could have done it on my own. Why must you meddle in what does not concern you?"

"Oh, just shut it Malfoy. I was just trying to help. What are you going to do to me? It's not like you can come over here and make good on your thoughts to strangle me."

He had never looked angrier. If he was able to stand, she didn't think she would have been alive for very much longer.

He suddenly pointed at her. She looked at him and almost laughed out loud. Pointing? Was that what he was going to do? _Point _her to death. The idea was humorous.

He glared at her and lowered his finger just a fraction and flicked it sideways. The book in her lap shot across the room, near the bathroom door.

Hermione's eyes were wide. What had just happened? Had he just done nonverbal magic?

"Malfoy... What did you just do?!"

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**A/N: CONSTRUCTIVE criticism is always welcome.**

**sifoni du venenis: siphone poison. _to siphon out poison_. words from Latin and Greek.**

**exlustro: _to examine. _-lustro from Latin. ex- I used from examine.**

**I used google translate. I know, I know. Shame on me. I did the best I could.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: I just want to reiterate that I will be focusing on the relationship of Dramione. There probably won't be a lot of adventure, except in small doses in flashbacks. And I would like to ask, anyone have any idea why I named the story as I did? Take a guess? :)**

**disclaimer: Harry Potter universe owned by J.K. Rowling. **

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"Did you just perform nonverbal magic?" It was a pretty strong spell too. She chanced a look at him. He looked angry, but his stance had not changed. His finger lingered for a few seconds before he dropped his hand. It didn't look like he had to concentrate very hard to perform the spell.

While Hermione should have panicked, she didn't. She was actually quite impressed. Someone that was sentenced to bed rest for a month could perform such a strong spell, and nonverbally too! He should have been weak, but it didn't seem like it at all.

He stared straight ahead and didn't answer her question. She realized that maybe now was not a good time to persevere in her questioning. He might get heated again. And who knew what would happen next time.

She let it go and went to pick up her book. Just as she reached it, it levitated to her left. She looked back at Malfoy and saw that his hand was up, guiding the book wherever he wanted it to go.

She looked back at the book and back at him. She would have to act fast if she wanted the book. She quickly swung her hand out to grab it, but it moved closer to Malfoy's bed. She wasn't giving up now. She would get it herself if it was the last thing she did.

His face showed no emotion or expression. But she somehow knew that he was having immense fun at her expense.

She walked slowly up to the book, where it stayed in its place. Acting much more quickly this time, she managed to close her hand around the book, but not before Malfoy summoned it to himself. He caught it in his hand.

He smirked. "Come and get it then."

This was easy. It wasn't like he could get very far. She smiled sweetly at him and made her way over to the side of the bed. Her hand darted out and caught the book in her hand. Even Malfoy was a little surprised at how quick her hand was.

Hermione tugged on the book harder and it was out of his hands. She pointed her chin up and wanted so badly to rub it in his face. But she didn't. She went back to her bed to sit and read. This time casting a silencing charm around her bed again. She wouldn't have to endure through any of Malfoy's interruptions again for the next hour at least.

Malfoy was impressed at how fast Hermione's hands had darted out. He didn't think she could have gotten the book away from him. But she had. And he didn't think he could forget the expression on her face when she did. She had been proud of herself for taking it away because she knew he thought that she wouldn't have been able to do it. Her eyes flashed with delight as she finally got her book back.

That was something he couldn't get out of his mind. And for some odd reason, he didn't dare to bother her again so soon. He would let her read.

After about thirty minutes, Hermione chanced a glance over at Malfoy. His face was turned the other way and she could not tell if he was sleeping or staring off into space. She took away the silencing spell. She got up off the bed walked over to the bookshelf. She picked a book that she thought Malfoy would enjoy reading. This was a book that she had enjoyed reading as well, filled with a sense of adventure. It was somewhat short, but it was a muggle book. She would test his interest with this book first.

She walked over to him and tapped him softly on the shoulder. He didn't move. So she tapped him again, this time two taps. No movement. She cleared her throat. Again, no movement. She walked over to the other side of his bed and saw that he was indeed sleeping.

Merlin! Even if he was left with nothing to do all day so far, how could one even sleep that much? There was a nightstand on this side and she placed the book there. Hopefully he would see it if he woke up. Hermione wanted a change of scenery and decided to go downstairs to read before lunchtime. She didn't notice the pair of eyes that had opened when she turned toward the door.

After an hour, it was lunchtime and the kitchen was busy. There were lots of people in the room, most of them had come back from a trip into the wizarding world. She wanted to go out too, but her wound prevented it. Even if she begged to not move around so much, they probably wouldn't let her out for very long. But it would be better than nothing. She would ask the next time Ginny wanted to go out.

"Hey Dean. How was the assignment?" Hermione questioned, seeing him leaning against the kitchen table and listening to a conversation.

"It went fairly well. We almost had a run in with Death Eaters, but Harry was able to lead them away. Fred and George helped to create a distraction and we got out all right."

"That's great. I'm glad no one was hurt."

"Lunch is served!" Molly Weasley turned from the kitchen counter and levitated a dish of mashed potatoes onto the table. A few other dishes were hovered over and lunch quickly started.

Hermione had conversations with a few other people. She was surprised to see Blaise. She knew he was based in Diagon Alley. They had many assignments over there and having a healer over there helped if anything went downhill and someone was injured.

She had been plenty surprised when he had shown up and announced to the Order that he would be helping them. It had taken a while, since he was Slytherin and many did not want to trust him. But he proved himself during one mission when he had helped Harry to heal in a short amount of time. Because of this, Harry was back into fighting and with his swift recovery, their confidence level shot up and were able to capture a Death Eater. They had proceeded to question him. A small amount of Veritaserum was used and he had spilled out information on an upcoming attack in a muggle neighborhood. The Order then prevented the attack and even managed to polish off a few of Voldemort's followers. Normally they did not aim to kill, but spells were shot out so quickly, that they just reacted impulsively, not wanting to die. At first, Hermione was appalled, but realized that she would rather have Death Eaters die than her friends. This was a war, and she might as well quickly take it in.

"I heard Malfoy's here." Blaise started.

"Yes. He's upstairs. In a stable condition, but he isn't able to move around." She told him.

"Is it all right if I see him?" She looked into his eyes and saw that he was sincere. There was no hidden motive for wanting to talk to his old classmate. She didn't know how close they were. Sure, they were placed in the same House, but she rarely saw them exchange words. They worked really well together, their partner grades were a testament to that. But other than that, she hadn't really seen Blaise with any one Slytherin for a long period of time.

"I suppose that's okay." She grabbed a large plate and put a couple different foods on it. "Why don't you carry this up to him. He's probably hungry."

She handed Blaise the plate and stuck a fork in the side. He nodded to her and made his way upstairs.

She continued talking to a few people she hadn't seen in a while. Grimmauld Place was considered headquarters and they gathered here at times to talk about Order stuff. There was also a base in Diagon Alley and Hogwarts. A few of the graduated alumni were there to make sure nothing went wrong if Voldemort decided to take over again.

Time flew by and before she knew it, it was almost four in the afternoon. She walked slowly upstairs to her room.

When she opened the door, she saw Blaise had pulled the chair by the desk over to the bed. Malfoy and him looked to be having a deep conversation, judging by the way Malfoy was now looking at her. She walked to the foot of her bed, sat down, and looked out the window.

Malfoy was staring at her and when she had just started staring out the window, he raised his eyebrows.

"What's up with Granger? What's she staring at?"

She heaved a sigh. "I can hear you, you know." A few seconds later, "I'm looking at the weather. It's a really nice day out." Her eyes were looking outside, but it didn't look like she was focusing on any one thing. "The grass is a lovely shade of green. I can almost smell it, as if it was just freshly mown." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, as if she could really smell it from an enclosed room. "The sky is filled with clouds, but not the overbearing kind. Just soft, small bunches of clouds. Looks like cotton candy."

"What the hell is _cotton candy_?" Malfoy asked.

"A muggle sweet. It really looks like the clouds. It's made out of sugar though. I haven't the patience to explain how it works now. Maybe some other time."

She continued on with her explanation of what she saw outside. "And the trees. They're full of plump leaves. It's the middle of summer." She paused. "Sometimes it feels cold and empty though. As if it isn't summer."

Malfoy knew what she meant. The magic currently in the air was palpable. It wasn't a nice magic though. It felt restricting and dark, letting off the feeling of an upcoming storm.

Blaise stood up and walked over to where she sat. Hermione looked a bit nervous, but no one was the wiser to her reaction of Blaise walking over. Malfoy's eyes were on his friend's form.

Blaise looked out the window and then gazed down at Hermione. She looked him in the eyes and shrugged. He looked a bit perplexed, but let it go after a few seconds. He walked over to Malfoy.

"Mate. I think I'll be heading off now." Malfoy just nodded. "I'll see if I can come back anytime soon. Merlin knows you need some interesting company." Blaise winked at Hermione.

She chuckled. "Hey! I can be interesting if I so please."

"Sure Granger. I'll see you around." He nodded to Malfoy once more and left the room.

When Hermione had laughed, Malfoy couldn't keep his eyes off of her. Her face had lit up from the small joke. This expression was not one that Malfoy had seen on her in the longest time. In fact, if he recalled correctly, last time was during the Yule Ball in their fourth year. It had been a while ago. After that, all of their lives had changed. While many did not believe of Harry's story of how Voldemort had come back, the tension was there and it worried a lot of people.

Hermione noticed that Malfoy was looking at her. Her smile promptly drifted away. "What? Is there something on my face?"

"No, no. Nothing." They were quiet for a few moments. Then she noticed that Malfoy was leaning on his elbows.

"You can sit up now?"

Malfoy looked down at his elbows and gently lowered himself flat onto the bed again. "Oh, yeah. Blaise was kind enough to heal me. I didn't know he was into healing. He did a pretty good job. Apparently, he used the spell that She Weasley was going to cast on me. To stitch up the muscles. She was right. They have to be healed in sections. If all goes well, I can get up in less than a month." He looked pleased at this news. The form of a smile ghosting his face.

Hermione concluded that if this was only a ghost of a smile, then maybe a fully smiling Malfoy wouldn't be so bad to look at.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: What a busy week it's been for me! I have so much work. I had this written, but I didn't want to upload it. I needed the time to edit and make sure it was what I wanted to post. I hope you like it.**

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The rest of the day had passed by in a flash. Hermione and Malfoy rarely talked to each other. Both of them preoccupied with their books.

Though Hermione had read her book a couple of times already, she couldn't help the feeling of being pulled away from reality and plunging into the story and setting of her book.

Malfoy had almost thrown the book across the room when he saw that he was holding a muggle book. Hermione had glared at him and told him to give it a chance, telling him to read the summary on the back. He did and while he showed no outward sign of interest, his brain was telling him he needed a good reprieve from everything that had happened that day. Once he started reading, he could not stop. He was carried away into the book and only stopped when Hermione had said she would get them both tea. He was too absorbed in the book to give anything but a grunt. There was no verbal harassment given to Hermione. She was pleased. If this was all it took to silence Malfoy, then she would gladly let him borrow all her books to read. She could almost say that she liked reading next to, but not really next to, him.

Dinner passed by as well. She brought food upstairs for both of them. Most of those that had come by for lunch, had left to their respective stations. Harry was going over plans that would bait out a few Death Eaters. They needed more information on attacks that they wanted to prevent and bring them closer to Voldemort.

During these two months since the battle at Hogwarts, Voldemort had unleashed his rage into the world. Sending the Death Eaters to muggle and wizard neighborhoods alike. At first they thought his destruction of these neighborhoods was significant. But they quickly saw it for what it was; a release of his outrage at letting Harry Potter get away _again_. They tried to prevent the first few attacks, but since they had no idea where Voldemort was going to attack, they were always too late.

But then, Harry had gotten the idea to lure out Death Eaters. Voldemort still wanted to capture him, so would not let his servants miss out on an opportunity to catch him. Their first capture was no easy mission. Snape had a few bottles of Veritaserum left that they were able to find in his private storage. They used that to get information on anything Voldemort had planned. But no large plans were ever revealed. They could tell that these were meager servants. They were low on the chain. Tasked with the duty of getting Harry Potter back to him. If they were killed, so be it, he had many other options. He could force anyone he wanted. Threaten anyone he wanted. They would do his bidding; he didn't care what motivated them to follow him.

And so, attacks went forward, while the Order tried to capture Death Eaters that ranked high. If they did ever capture one, they would get information, obliviate them and send them back into the world. Where they ended up, they did not care. One day, they would eventually catch a Death Eater that would get them closer to Voldemort.

Malfoy and Hermione both fell asleep reading their books.

"How'd you like the book?" Hermione tentatively asked Malfoy, after breakfast and their healing.

"It was good." No other description. Just 'it was good'.

She nodded, not wanting to start an argument. With Malfoy anything could turn into an argument. She moved to the foot of her bed to look out the window again.

Malfoy looked at her look out the window. She seemed to be captivated by what she saw. He had thought she would question him some more. In the past, such a short answer with no explanation would have warranted a multitude of questions that would have pestered him to no end. But she had said nothing, just a simple nod.

There must have been something that affected her so. Maybe something had happened that made her this way. It was about time, he thought, to bristle her up a little bit.

Maybe he would start out slow though. "How's the weather?"

She glanced at him and then returned her attention outside. It looked like she had to think before her reply.

"I remember when I was a little girl, my mum would bring me to the nearest playground before I started preschool. We would eat lunch and wait an hour and go out to play. It was wonderful." He wondered why she was telling this story. What did it have to do with what was happening outside?

It seemed she knew what he was thinking. "There's a little girl outside. She has on a little red coat and is holding hands with her mother." She sighed. "The weather is nice. A good day for a stroll." He could tell she wanted to take a walk outside. But he knew there was no chance in that. Especially when the Dark Lord was still out there. Who knew who was watching, waiting for the right moment to take a hostage.

Wanting to continue the talk, he asked, "What other details can you spare me?"

She took a long look at him. After a moment, she caved.

"Well, I think it showered in the middle of the night. There are little dew drops aloft the leaves and grass."

"How could you possibly see that?"

"There's a tree outside this window." And she continued her detailed description. "The sun is shining brightly on the ground and it's reflecting off the grass. There's a slight breeze, ruffling through the trees. I believe right outside this house is a park. That's where they're going."

Her depiction of what she saw was excruciatingly detailed. There was nothing missed by those eyes.

It suddenly hit him that he didn't really want to provoke a heavy reaction out of her. He was so caught up in her words, that his plan had lay forgotten. He thought of it now, but he was no longer in the mood to sate his hunger of distressing the girl. What he couldn't shake was a curiosity for her character now.

"What's wrong with you?" He asked, bluntly.

Hermione raised her eyebrows at him. "Pardon?"

"Where's the old Granger? The one who didn't take short answers? Who needed to know everything?"

She looked surprised. "You sure do know a lot about me, Malfoy."

He shrugged, not too hard. "Loving someone and hating someone takes the same amount of passion. The only difference is their output."

His reasoning was sound. Of course it was. He had only been a few ranks below her academically. She had known not to judge Malfoy's outer appearances. He gave off an air of boredom, but when she sometimes looked over to his desk, he was studiously writing down notes. He wasn't in the library as much as she was, but he had been in there a substantial number of times. Her unique trait was being able to take information in only once and understanding it. While others had to read over their notes and learn what they did not understand. Hermione read over her notes as review.

She had worked out that Malfoy seemed to be able to learn new topics and issues with ease. Quite similar to her own trait.

"Yes, that's right." She agreed.

He smirked. "So, what happened to you?" And just like that her content expression became downcast almost immediately.

Sure she had gotten over it, but the topic was still fairly new. Would she be able to tell him? What if he kept taunting her? What if he kept bringing up this sore issue?

"Maybe the war is finally getting to me."

"I doubt that's very true, Granger. If anything you should be more determined. Nothing will be able to return to normal unless the Dark Lord is finally killed. From what I've observed of you, you have a determination that won't quit. It must have been quite a traumatic shock, whatever happened."

She looked at him sadly. "Well, a death of someone close to you would do that, wouldn't it?"

He tried to guess who she had lost. It was definitely someone very close to her, to have affected her so.

"Who?"

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Would she answer him?

"Ron." His name was foreign on her tongue, when once upon a time it had been uttered with endearment.

His eyes almost bulged out of his head. "Weasley?" One member of the Golden Trio had died and he had had no idea.

"Ron." She repeated.

This would explain her disconnected nature as of late. He wondered how long she had been like this.

"How long?"

Her responses were now quicker in coming. "Since the battle at Hogwarts."

It was not necessarily a long time ago, but to think that the famous trio had been reduced to a duo was somewhat upsetting.

Just then, there was a loud burst of noise from downstairs. This had to mean something big had happened. Usually in the middle of the day, all was calm. The most calm one could feel during a war like this.

When the Order went out on missions, it was dangerous. But once they came home, it was _almost_ like everything was normal. Seeing friends tended to do that, calm ones nerves.

She thought that the worst thing to lose during a time of war, was your mind. Death was a true ending and beginning. No pain, and depending on what you believed, it was the beginning to forever.

But losing ones mind, that was dangerous. To know what you were like before and knowing you could never be the same. Just too much had happened to not be changed in some way.

Hermione looked at Malfoy. "I'm going to go see what's going on." She got up off the bed and went downstairs, leaving him to a whole lot of new information.

"What's happened?" She asked Harry when she arrived downstairs.

He was smiling. Truly smiling. Something she had not seen in awhile. "We've captured Lucius Malfoy!"

She gasped. If all went smoothly, they would be able to force him to drink veritaserum and then all his information would be privy to them. Lucius Malfoy was indeed a top ranking Death Eater. He probably had the most information out of all Voldemort's supporters. This would be great!

But then, she thought of the young blond currently upstairs. How would he react to this news? But why did he even need to know, right?

"That's great, Harry! We're that much closer to finishing Voldemort!" Her excitement would not abate though. She couldn't imagine what would happen once the fighting had stopped. What would it be like to not live in hiding? To go out and take a walk without having to worry about Death Eaters.

But there was something bothering her. "How did you capture him? I would assume someone like Lucius Malfoy wouldn't be the easiest to apprehend."

"That's the thing. It was so easy. He was in the Hog's Head, sitting by himself. He didn't look at anyone, but it looked like he was muttering to himself a lot. But he wasn't talking to anyone else. We didn't want to attract too much attention, so we had to sneak up on him and stun him. I think he had too much to drink or something, he wasn't even anticipating it and his reaction was sluggish. Neville was able to stun him nonverbally. He's been working on that, did you know?"

Hermione realized that she did not know. She had been caught up in her own world. She talked to people, but now she knew that she hadn't really been listening. She had shed a lot of tears in that first week after Ron passed. She almost forgot that while she had lost her best friend, many others had lost a family member and a close friend. She wasn't the only one to lose him.

"I'm so glad for Neville. This is a big deal, Harry. We should celebrate or something!"

"It's not like we've won the war, Hermione."

"But I can feel that things will be turning around."

Now that she thought about this deeply, she just knew this was what she needed to hear. A familiar flow of energy coursed through her. Determination. Obtaining Lucius Malfoy was just the beginning to the end.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: Hello. This chapter took a little longer to write. I wrote a few paragraphs in the beginning. But it took me 3 days to come back and continue writing. I wasn't sure how to continue. I know the overall format of ideas for the story, but little details escape me. So, I have to work hard on the little stuff. **

**Draco and Hermione are both a little OOC. I mean, where's the bickering and the arguments? There should be more of those. I just see Hermione being physically weak, even though her mind is just as strong. Draco begins to question why he so easily talks to her. He shouldn't be. He should be disgusted for talking to a mudblood. But yet, he is not.**

**There is another flashback in this chapter. It starts where the last one left off. So, if you forgot about what happened, it is in CHAPTER 2. I haven't done flashbacks since then because I wanted to write more about what's happening in the real world. I want the flashbacks to be spread somewhat evenly through the whole story. Yes, it's not being spread evenly so far. Bah. Enjoy.**

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Two days had passed since Lucius Malfoy had been brought in. They had administered Veritaserum to him when he was still stunned and had awoken him straight after. Restraints had been applied and no less than four guards were stationed within the room where he was being questioned. Kingsley Shacklebolt asked the questions.

Hermione was excited. The capture of a high ranking Death Eater! Who knew where the information would take them. But she was also apprehensive. Lucius Malfoy would no doubt have built up a tolerance to Veritaserum. She had told Kingsley to be on his guard, as Lucius might be prone to lying. The truth always comes out, and Veritaserum was that little boost toward making sure it did.

If they wanted to question him and make sure everything he told was truth, they had to ask the harder questions in the end. In the beginning, one could withstand the effects, but after a while, their resolve would break down; wanting to tell the truth. Hermione made sure to express this, and they asked simple questions at the start, to break him down first.

At the end, he had given them quite a bit of information. Kingsley knew Hermione was bright, but no one would be able to tell if what Lucius had told them was the truth. It had gone better and smoother than they expected. He didn't fight them, didn't try to break through his restraints. Told them everything without so much as a wavering gaze. This was highly suspicious, but there was just no way to tell if what he said was true. There was only one way to test it.

Harry and a group from the Order would go out tomorrow and stake out a location that Lucius had reported about. The Death Eaters were supposed to meet at a certain location, then carry out a raid in someone's house. The house in question had something Voldemort needed. They were not sure what he needed, as even Lucius wasn't even privy to that information. Their goal was to observe and see if there was any truth to Lucius's information. If it was sound, it was likely everything else was as well.

No one had yet to tell Draco Malfoy that his father was in the same house at the current moment. Hermione wanted to, but she didn't know what he would say. Would he want to see him? If he did, would that be possible? It wouldn't be wise to do so, but it was his father.

The day Harry was to go out on the mission, was the day Hermione decided to tell Malfoy that his father was here. She could handle him. She was anxious about his reaction, but relieved he couldn't really do anything about it. With Lucius locked in a room, Malfoy wouldn't be able to get to him.

He had spent the past three days reading. There was nothing better for him to do. Hermione, Harry, and Ginny were the only ones he saw frequently. He was left alone at times, as Hermione liked to walk around. She did not physically help with much of anything, but her brain was in fine condition.

Malfoy's head looked up as the door opened and Hermione came through. She closed the door behind her and walked over to her bed. But she didn't sit down. She started pacing.

"Granger, you're giving me a headache. Stop pacing and sit the hell down. You're going to pace a hole through the floor."

She was slightly startled out of her thoughts. She sat down with her back straight and looked at him pointedly.

He was now a bit annoyed with how she was looking at him. "Granger, if you don't stop fucking looking at me, I might have to nonverbally cause your hair to catch fire."

There it was; the Hermione Granger glare. But as quickly as it came, it disappeared off her face. Malfoy was intrigued. He thought he could rile her up, but there was something plaguing her mind.

"Actually, I have something to tell you, Malfoy. I'm not sure what you're going to say about it."

"Well, let's hear it. I don't know what I'll say until I've heard what you're going to tell me. Wow, Granger. For someone so smart, you don't have much common sense do you?"

She didn't take to the argument. "We caught a Death Eater three days ago. And we've questioned him about activities Voldemort wants to carry out. We're not sure if he's telling the truth. Harry went out with a group today to stakeout a location."

He was waiting for something else. "That's wonderful, Granger." He drawled. "What's it got to do with me?"

She took in a deep breath. "It's your father." She studied him to see what his reaction would be. His reaction surprised her.

He didn't say anything. Nothing at all.

"Well?" She pressed on.

"Well, what?"

"Aren't you angry? Aren't you going to curse us for having captured your father?"

"I don't care about my father. He's done nothing for me to warrant any kind of feelings from me. Do what you want. I don't care."

"But he's your father. He raised you. How can you not care?"

"You know nothing about him. Don't assume that just because I am his son, he would care about me in some way. The only person he has ever cared about is himself." He snapped at her.

She thought about it. "I don't think that's true. I mean, you're a spoiled brat, Malfoy. And don't you deny it. You are. Surely, if he didn't care, he would never spoil you."

"Like I said, Granger. You know nothing. Everything was done to assure his social standing. If I'm spoiled, it just shows we have money to spend on anything I want."

That was a fair point. She would leave it... for now.

He resumed his reading and Hermione looked out the window. Malfoy would look at her occasionally. He was addicted to the way she looked outside. He wanted to see what she saw. If it really was as wonderful as she described it.

Malfoy didn't have much to look forward to nowadays. He was a branded Death Eater. Even if he was a terrible one. Right after the battle of Hogwarts, he had run off. Somewhere where no one would be able to find him. His parents knew nothing and had no idea where he had gone. Sometimes he would sneak back to Hogwarts and go through Snape's unused supplies. There were still a lot. Unfortunately, on one such case he had gotten caught and now he was here. What a way to be found out.

He wondered what would happen once the war ended. Who would win? Though he had never murdered anyone, he had attempted to kill Dumbledore. That would surely land him in Azkaban. Everyone loved the crazy wizard. Anyone who wanted to kill him would be labeled a very bad man.

He didn't think he would get the Dementor's Kiss. But who knew? Times would change. He did hope it would be the Light that won. He knew that was a better deal for him than if Voldemort won. He would undoubtedly find Draco and proceed to torture him for running away when he had clearly given his loyalty to the Dark's causes.

Later that day, Blaise came by to check on Malfoy's wounds. The stitching of the muscles was slow going. The wound was quite large, but it was healing. He would be able to start walking around in no time. They talked for a bit, then Blaise returned to Diagon Alley.

_She might have blanked out for a few seconds. When she opened her eyes slowly, the snake was nowhere to be seen. There was a sound though. A wheezing sound. And something in her heart clenched. Someone was struggling to get breath. As if they were having trouble breathing. Now she was aware of something heavy on top of her. Or someone. And her heart plummeted once again. _

_Ron was attempting to get up, but he was having trouble. She quickly helped to push him onto his feet. He was able to stand, but immediately fell down again. Hermione was confused and very afraid. Something was wrong. Why couldn't Ron stand up?_

_She assisted him in laying down on the floor. It did not seem he was comfortable in sitting. Then, she was aware of a constricting silence. The holding of breath. And she looked up into many pairs of wide eyes. Some were looking to her right and some were looking at Ron. She looked over and saw Neville standing there with the sword. It was stained with what looked like black ink. _

"_Neville! You've done it! You've killed it!" She got up and hugged him, but he did not return her gesture. He seemed to be preoccupied. _

"_What's wrong Neville? Why's everyone looking at Ron like that? You've killed Nagini! Now Harry can finally kill Voldemort and he'll never come back!"_

"_H-Her-Hermione. I'm sorry I didn't get here in time." Neville looked to the floor._

_She was confused. "What do you mean?" She looked around and tried to figure out why everyone looked as if someone had died. _

_Then she knew._

Hermione opened her tear stained eyes. Her eyes felt so puffy. As if she had been crying the whole night. Sometimes she found that if she cried in her dreams, she would wake to fresh tears in her eyes. More often than not, it was always the same dream that made her this way.

She drew her blankets closer around her and hoped that when she went back to sleep, no nightmares would plague her this time.

The past two days had passed by somewhat quickly for Hermione. She read, helped out with plans (but never the physical side), ate, and talked to whoever wanted talking. Just because she was hurt didn't mean she was fragile. There was still much fight in her. And she would damn well do her best to rid the wizarding world of the most evil wizard of all time.

Sometimes she would talk to Malfoy. But mostly he stared off into space. Something had changed and she knew exactly what it was and when it had happened. He said he didn't care much about his father, but his actions spoke otherwise. He was affected by this piece of information, even if he didn't want to admit it.

Just a day ago, she wondered about her acquaintanceship with Malfoy. She was very afraid of him sleeping in the same room. She was scared that he would do something to her. But now, she conversed with him as if he had done no wrong to her. As if she had forgotten that he had stood by while she had been writhing on the ground, being tortured. Why was it like this then? She didn't hold the same animosity towards him as when he first came. She didn't know the answer and didn't have the heart to search for it now. One day she would understand, she always did. She was a very understanding person. Hermione learned quite a bit about herself over the years. If people were quick to judge her, so be it. They didn't affect her in the least.

Currently, she was once again looking outside the window. She was calm and her face showed contentment. Her dream from yesterday in the back of her mind. She had them frequently and it was always the same. She was damn tired of it and told herself to push them into the back of her mind.

She looked over at Malfoy. He was looking at her. He did not turn away when she looked at him.

She knew what he wanted. Why was she willing to talk to him? Well, what he didn't know couldn't hurt him. He would be up in no time anyway. She was a compassionate person, but she did have a little humor in her. She silently laughed to herself. He would NOT be up in no time. He still had close to four weeks to stay in the bed.

"There are a couple of gardeners working on the trees. I think they're trimming the leaves. And there are a few new holes being dug, probably planting new trees as well." A pause. "A family is walking by. Three kids and their parents." She sighed. "The kids are teasing each other and running around. You know how they are when they're children." She glanced over at Malfoy, his gaze never wavering from hers. She cleared her throat. "The mother and father are looking at each other smiling." Another sigh. "They don't even know there's a war. They're so carefree and happy."

Malfoy felt like he had to defend her state of mind. "They're just muggles. They don't know anything about us."

She silently agreed. "Now they're heading into a building. Probably where they live." She continued to look out the window for a few more minutes. Then, she turned to him.

"So, what has Malfoy been doing these past two months? We've had no idea where you've been." She asked this in a neutral tone. He knew she was merely curious.

Why should he answer? Just because she told him a few things about herself, he would share about himself? He wasn't like that. He talked to who he wanted. Told things to people he wanted. He did not want to say anything to Hermione Granger of all people.

Then, why was he suddenly speaking?

"I've been hiding out."

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**Author's Note: But seriously, what do windows have to do with this story? Why is Draco so fascinated when Hermione looks outside? Who knows when I will reveal that information. But I will. Constructive criticism is welcome. Have a good day, til next time.**


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